South Africa: Age dependency ratio

The latest value from 2023 is 51.86 percent, a decline from 52.54 percent in 2022. In comparison, the world average is 58.49 percent, based on data from 196 countries. Historically, the average for South Africa from 1960 to 2023 is 68.97 percent. The minimum value, 50.41 percent, was reached in 2011 while the maximum of 84.61 percent was recorded in 1960. See the global rankings for that indicator or use the country comparator to compare trends over time.

The age dependency ratio for South Africa is calculated as follows: Age dependency = (people younger than 15 and older than 64) / (working age people ages 15-64). A higher value for South Africa and other countries means that employed people have to support more non-working people, either young or old.

Definition: Age dependency ratio is the ratio of dependents--people younger than 15 or older than 64--to the working-age population--those ages 15-64. Data are shown as the proportion of dependents per 100 working-age population.